Toilet Buddy Helps Cover Up Bathroom Noises

When it comes to bathroom etiquette, [Nick] and the crew at Gadget Gangster are nothing less than proper gentlemen. Inspired by a Japanese toilet that automatically plays a “courtesy flush” noise in an effort to conserve water while masking sounds, they created the Toilet Buddy.

While the Toilet Buddy does nothing to cover up any aromas, it does provide some sound cover for those louder times. Not only that, it also helps serve as a reminder for other bathroom courtesies as well. When mounted on the tank lid, the Toilet Buddy alerts the last occupant to put the seat down and shut off the lights before leaving the bathroom. Built with a Parallax Propeller board, it uses IR and ambient light sensors to determine the position of the toilet seat and the status of the bathroom lights, playing an audio notifier when necessary. Now if it only sprayed air freshener automatically!

[Nick] points out that the Toilet Buddy is not limited to bathroom duty, and can be used in a variety of projects where light/motion sensing is required. Be sure to check out his writeup for some usage suggestions if you’re thinking of building one.

In the meantime, continue reading to see a video of the Toilet Buddy in action.

Playing a courtesy flush sound doesn’t conserve water, as you are still likely to need that flush (unless this hack also reduces the volume of waste!). But really, it would sound to any bathroom eavesdroppers that you are flushing -too much-.

if the concern is water saving why not get a 1.28 gallon per flush toilet ? such as this one http://www.bathkeep.com/best-toilet/ … Toto also came from japan it originates there they also invented the best bidet seats…

It’s a cool idea. I would have it playing Italian opera just to be different and classier… ♪ ♫Oh Sole Mio… ♬
It would be neat to have it spray air freshener automatically; as for the lights, I installed a motion detection light switch in our main bathroom and we will never live in another house without it now.

Let’s assume you live with a girlfriend, and that both of you stay hydrated and regular. You both poop once a day, and pee X times. This will make for X uses per day with seat up, and X + 2 uses per day with seat down. Therefore the optimal position of the seat, the position that minimizes inconvenience for everyone, is seat down. Add in factors like preventing pets from going swimming and intangibles like aesthetic value (the lid is there for a reason) and the conclusion is clear: you’re an asshole.